Draft mechanism



J. 0. NEIKIHK. DRAFT MEcHMusM.l APPLICATION FILED APR. 23, 1920.

Patenuune 13, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN 0. NEIKIRK, OF LOMBARD, ILLINOIS.

DRAFT MECHANISM.

Application filed April 28,

To all whom t m04/ concern:

Be it known that I, Jol-IN O. Nnrkmk, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lombard, in the county of Du Page and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft Mechanism, of which the following is a specilieation.

This invention relates to draft mechanism.

In my recent Patent, No. 1,387,090, granted April 13, 1.920, I have disclosed, in drai't mechanism, the combination of a striking iron having integrally formed therewith means acting directly as a horizontal support for a coupler and forming an opening through which the coupler shank is applied, and a coupler the shank of which is plain and is applied longitudinally through said opening in the striking-iron independently of any removable parts cooperating with said opening for restricting the size thereof, while at the same time maintaining the coupler shank at the standard height and the standard clearance at the sides.

It is desirable, and indeed required, that the coupler be maintained at a predetermined height within relatively narrow limits. If the horizontal coupler shank support becomes worn away a given amount in the'integral arrangement disclosed in said patent, the entire combined casting will have to be scrapped and a new one substituted.

Accordingly, the object oi. my present invention is to retain all of the advantages of the patented structure and in addition thereto provide means for maintaining the coupler at the proper predetermined height, regardless of the amount o'l wear ot the horizontal coupler support, without scrapping the entire combined integral striking iron and carrier iron casting. y

Although there are many ways in which to accomplish this object within the spirit and scope of my invention, I prefer to provide the horizontal coupler support with a recess for the reception of a wearing membei` and a supporting member therefor which may be renewed as conditions may demand, it being pointed out that the coupler shank will be applied and withdrawn with respect to its support in the same manner as in the patented structure, it being understood that the wearing member will be in position at Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 13, 1922.

1920. Serial No. 375,954.

the time of the application and withdrawal, and will not in any manner wn'atsoever restrict thev size of the opening.

The invention is illustrated on the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which- Figure l is a top plan view, parts being shown in section, ci dra-lit rigging embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same showing the coupler and yoke in side elevation;

Figure 3 is a reduced view of a combined integrally formed striking iron with integrally formed carrier iron as viewed along the line 3 3 of Figure l, the coupler shank being shown in section; and, Y

Figure il is a sectional view taken in the plane of line iel oi Figure 3.

Heretofore in draft rigging it has been the practice to provide a striking iron, the lower side portions of which are bridged by a separate carrier iron. It has been necessary to have the carrier iron separate and removable from the striking iron to permit the application and removal oi the coupler, because the shank olf the coupler as built up to this time has had formed at the rear end thereof an enlargement providing shoulders to eng-age the iront inwardly-turned ends of the yoke arms. This enlarged portion of the coupler shank is too large to pass through the opening oit the striking iron when the carrier iron in its normal position. Accordingly, it has always beennnecessary to remove the carrier iron before applying or withdrawing the coupler with re.- spect to :its norm al operative position. rllhis tjv'pe of coupler shank, however, is becoming obsolete, the new or improved coupler shank now being plain throughout its length without any shoulders formed thereon. In view of this fact, I propose to provide a striking iron having formed integrally therewith a lower arm which acts as the carrier iron and which as a result ot the integral construction will remain in its regular normal position at all, times without the use of troublesome fastening means. With the old arrangement the procedure was to lift the coupler into operative position, then apply the carrier iron to hold the coupler in position, whereas with the new arrangement the operation is to enter the coupler longitudinally through the opening formed in the striking iron and then secure the coupler to the draft gear by a horizontal key.

Referring to the figures of the drawings, it will be noted that l have shown a draft rigging including spaced draft sills 10, between which is mounted a yoke 11, the front portion of which includes a hood 12, the sides of which are provided with elongated openings 13 for the reception of a broad flat key 14: which serves as the connection between the yoke 11 and the shank 15 of the coupler 16. lt will be understood that the draft arms 10 are also provided with elongated slots 17, through which the key 111 may be applied and withdrawn. lt will bc noted that the coupler here shown is of the new type, that is, the shank 15 is plain throughout, having no enlarged portion at its rear end which heretofore has cooperated with inwardlyn turned ends or shoulders at the front end of the yoke. In view of the fact that thc new coupler shank has no enlargement, as above mentionechl propose to obviate the use of the carrier iron which heretofore has been connected to the striking casting in many different ways. rlhese separable carrier irons and the means for securing same to the striking iron have always been a source of trouble in that the fastenings and the carrier irons have become loosened and detached from the striking irons, causing the carrier irons to be disconnected from the striking iron, occasioning the dropping of the coupler.

In addition it is well understood that a coupler is to be maintained at a standard height in order that couplings may be made. llf it happens that the carrier irons are displaced or lost, the coupler on the particular car will drop to such an extent that it is i1n possible to couple the car in the train. As a matter of fact, this happens very often in practice and it is found that at the last moment it is necessary to leave a car out of the train because it can not be coupled into the train for the reason stated.

To overcome these disadvantages, l have provided a striking iron 1S, which has in tegrally formed therewith a lower arm 19, which connects or bridges the lower portions of the sides 20 of the striking iron, thereby forming a fixed horizontal support for the coupler. As mentioned hereinabove, the upper surface of the lower arm 19 will in time wear to such an extent that the coupler will assume a position lower than that desired, in which event it would be necessary to scrap l the entire combined, integrally-formed striking and carrier iron 18. This, however, would be expensive and undesirable. To overcome this undesirable feature, 'l have provided the integrally-formed lower supporting arm 19 with an elongated recess 22 for the reception of a wear plate 23. lt will be noted, reference being had particularly to Figures 2 and 3, that this wear plate extends a relatively slight amount above the upper surface of the lower arm 19 on the main casting, so that the size of the walled opening 21 will in nowise be restricted. Accordingly, the plain shank of the coupler may be `applied longitudinally through said opening in the striking iron independently of any removable parts coperating with said opening for restricting the size thereof. Preferably the recess 22 is relatively deep and the bottom portion of same is filled by a block of wood 211- which acts as a direct support for the wear plate 23. The wear plate and the supporting member are thus both loosely mounted in the recessed arm 10, so as to be readily replaceable by similar parts when necessary. lf the wear plate 23 becomes worn away, for example, to the extent that its upper surface falls in the same horizontal plane with the upper surface of the arm 19, which may be considered to be the preferred lower limit the coupler will be permitted to reach, the worn plate may be removed and a new wear plate l23 substituted therefor, or, as is preferable, a block or supporting member of greater' depth may be substituted for the support 24C. In this way the coupler will be maintained at the standard height and at the same time provide the required standard clearance at the sides. It will be understood that the wear plate will be in its proper position at the time that the shank of the coupler is applied to or withdrawn from the wall opening 21. rllhis construction has the further advantage that the U-shaped arm 19 may form a direct support for the coupler in an operative position of said coupler, when the wear plate 23 is removed.

By means of this arrangement all of the advantages set forth in my above mentioned patent are obtained and disadvantages overcome. At the same time a coperation between the yoke, coupler and striking plate is provided which greatly facilitates assembling and disassembling of the parts and which is adapted to meet all. of the requirements for successful commercial operation. The advantages of convenience of adjustability, assembling and disassembling are had without sacricing safety and without encountering the likelihood of the car being put out of service due to absence or failure of the wear plate 23, inasmuch asthe U-shaped arm 19 is in a position to directly hold the coupler in an operative position.

My invention provides a coupler carry iron permanently attached to the car structure and so arranged that the straight shank coupler can be applied to the car and removed from or replaced` in the car without regard to the carry iron.

As stated above, `the object of this invention may be accomplished in many ways without departing from the spiritY and scope of same, and it is my intention to @over all carried by the carry iron for housing a such modifications falling Within the meanwearing plate for supporting the coupler l0 ingoi the following claim. shank in another operative position of the I claim: coupler.

In :L railway car, a carry iron, said carry Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 20th clay iron having an integral'bearing surface for of April, 1920. directly supporting the coupler shank in one operative position of the coupler, and means JOHN O. NEIKIRK. 

